Mornings at Bow Street: A Selection of the Most Humorous and Entertaining Reports which Have Appeared in the 'Morning Herald'Wight, J. (John)
General
Mornings at Bow Street: A Selection of the Most Humorous and Entertaining Reports which Have Appeared in the 'Morning Herald'
Wight, J. (John)
Crime -- England -- London
"A tailor, your honour," was the reply. But one of the patrol, who is
skilful in such matters, having examined his hands, declared, that if he
was a tailor, he had not used the needle for twelve months at least.
"What have you to say to that, Mr. Sullivan?" asked his worship.
"Bad luck to the _tailoring_, your honour, it wouldn't agree with me at
all, anyhow, and I discharged meself clane out of it, by the same token,
Sir."
"And how have you got your living since?"
"I walks down be the water-side, your honour, an gets me little bits o'
reeds an things, and ties 'em up like little bagpipes, and plays on 'em,
your honour, _Thady you Gander_ an _Gramachree_, and the likes of 'em; an
the jontelmen plases to hear me, your honour; an some gives me a shilling,
an some half-a-crown, may be, an some buys the little bagpipes for
themselves, your honour."
Honest Jemmy endeavoured to make the nature of these "little bagpipes"
very plain to his honour; but he did not seem to understand it exactly
himself, and so he made nothing of it. Neither could he account for his
bringing his wife's wardrobe up to London whilst she remained herself in
Portsmouth; and eventually he was committed for further examination.
Even this order for his imprisonment he took in perfect good humour; and
having carefully counted the ten or twelve shillings which the magistrate
ordered to be returned to him, he replaced them at the very bottom of his
pocket, and said, "I hopes your honour'll take care o' me things?" The
magistrate assured him he would, and honest Jemmy Sullivan then followed
the turnkey as blithely as if he had been going to Donnybrook Fair instead
of to prison.
This poor fellow was kept in prison nearly a month, during which time his
wife came to London, and not hearing anything of him at the place they had
appointed for their meeting, she went over to Ireland in search of him. At
length Jemmy was discharged because there was no evidence against him; but
his clothes were not given up to him till long after.
ONE OF THE FANCY.
A poor harmless translator of old shoes was placed at the bar by a city
officer, upon a charge of having stolen, or otherwise improperly obtained,
a cheque for 300_l._ from one Jonathan Freshfield, _Esquire_, "one of the
Fancy."
This Jonathan Freshfield, Esq., was a diminutive, forked-radish sort of a
young man, very fashionably attired, or, as he would say, _kiddily
togg'd_; and, though it was scarcely noon, he was rather _queer in the
attic_; that is to say, not exactly sober.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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